You Otter Know
by a30spotterfan
Summary: Harry defeated Voldemort. Ron spent three months unconscious in St. Mungos, but where is Hermione? What will Ron do when he finds out?
1. White Light

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

It was white light. All Ron could see was white light. It burned. He closed his eyes and it was still there. He tried to scream, but his mouth would not work.

He wondered if he was dead. But if he was dead, why was there still pain? Please make it stop, Ron begged.

After what seemed an eternity, the light began to fade, and so did the pain. Ron welcomed the end. Blackness was coming. He wondered if Harry succeeded. He wondered what become of…

"Her-my-nee," Ron croaked.

Ron head a voice from what seemed a million miles away. "Ginny. Get the healers. I think he is waking up!"

Ron was sitting up now, after hours of being prodded and poked and examined. He head felt three times its normal size, and the room kept spinning if he kept his eyes open too long. Every muscle in his body ached, and he wondered if the white light wasn't so bad after all.

Harry was in the room with him. Ginny was at his side. They were holding hands. Ron smiled. It seems that at least one thing had worked out.

When he was reasonably certain he was not going to throw up he asked, "Harry, what happened? Is it over? Did you?"

"Ron, you been out for almost three months. Take it slow. But to answer you, it is over. Voldemort is gone. I just thought of all the people I cared about, everyone that I loved. Then I made him touch me. I forced his hand up to my scar. Ron, the love poured from me into him, and he couldn't take it. He exploded."

"Love hurts."

"Funny. Good to see your wit is back to its normal level. Go back to sleep."

"Haven't I slept enough? Every muscle in my body aches? What happened to me?"

"Well," Harry said, "The muscle ache is from the charms the healers are using on you to keep your muscles from atrophying. As far as how you got here, when Voldemort exploded a huge amount of magical energy was released. It affected everything in the area, including you and Hermione. She…" Harry hesitated.

"Hermione," Ron croaked. "Is she…"

"She is alive and safe. The energy affected her differently." Harry changed the subject.

"Remember when we agreed that we would get a flat in London if we succeeded? I got one. I'm sorry I didn't consult you, but you were out of commission. All your stuff is moved in. It's just waiting for you to get out of here."

Over the next week, Ron had an obscene amount of visitors. His Dad and Mum, Bill, Charlie, the twins and even Percy, though he came by himself and stayed very shortly. Tonks and Lupin came, and Lupin played chess with him. Most of the surviving Order had visited. One, however, was conspicuous by her absence.

"Harry, why hasn't Hermione visited me?"

"Umm, Ron, she can't come to St. Mungo's right now. Did I mention she's staying with us? She wants to be near the Ministry for a while. Did they tell you that you get to leave tomorrow? You'll see her then."

Harry smiled sheepishly. Ron wondered what as up, but decided to let it wait until the next day.

Since Ron did not feel comfortable apparating yet and the flat was only a short distance from St. Mungo's, Ron and Harry walked to their new place.

"So, Hermione has been staying at our place," Ron said.

"Yes," Harry replied. "She wanted to be close by the Ministry."

"Are you going to tell me why she didn't visit me there?"

"This is the place. Don't worry Ginny and your mother has moved all your stuff in your room."

Harry opened the door and Ron looked into the sitting room of their flat. It was decorated in red and gold and resembled the Gryffindor common room. It was also quite neat and orderly, and lacked the thrown together quality of the Burrow. The walls were decorated with pictures of Harry, himself, and Hermione, along with pictures of Ron's family. Over the fireplace was the picture of the three of them at Hogsmeade station after their first year. Ron looked down at the shiny wood floors and spotted an otter lying there reading a book. Ron felt his blood rush to his feet.

Ron awoke in his bed sometime later. He saw Harry sitting at his bedside.

"That went worse than I thought it would," Harry sighed.

Ron started sputtering. "Why didn't you tell me? Is that really her? What happened?"

"Slow down, Ron, I'm going to answer everything. First, at St. Mungo's they didn't want you to get upset about this. After that, well, I just didn't know how to tell you, so I just let you see for yourself."

"Good plan."

"I was wrong to tell you like that."

"You didn't tell me."

"OK, I was just wrong. I'm sorry, mate."

Harry continued, "Second it is Hermione. Third, like I told you, when Voldemort exploded, a tremendous amount of magic energy was expended. For some reason I got very little of it. You got a hefty dose, but it appears Hermione received the worst of it."

"She was transfigured?"

"No, it actually just harnessed her potential ability to become an animagus. She had not been trying to become one, but it appears if she had she would have been able to become an otter."

"But her patronus is an otter."

"Sometimes they are the same, and sometimes they are not."

"How do you know?"

"Lupin told me."

"Oh, so now she is an animagus. Why doesn't she just change back?"

"She can't, Ron. The blast of energy did severe damage to her magical ability. She cannot change back into you human form now. She can only wait and rest and hope it returns in time."

"She's an otter," Ron said aloud, meaning to say it just to him.

"No, she's Hermione, our friend, the person you belched slugs for in second year. She can still read, given help getting to books down. She can understand us. She can't talk back, but I've been trying to rig a muggle ink pen so she can write. I've set up a couple of bells in the kitchen so she can answer yes or no questions. It's Hermione there and she needs her friends."

"Her magic will return, right?"

"We don't know, Ron. We have to give it time."

"How much? Months? Years?"

"We don't know. But," Harry lowered his voice, "If it doesn't return in a year, the healers and Lupin think it may never return."

They sat in silence for about five minutes.

"I need to take a walk," Ron said.


	2. Pubs and Pets

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

"This next round is yours, Weasley," said Rob Kozir, Ron's supervisor in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Rob was a chaser for the Cannons, but had to retire after a bizarre incident involving a non standard bludger and an enchanted glass of lemonade. Arthur Weasley had helped him get a job in the Ministry, and Rob and got Ron in as well.

"I thought I got the last one," Ron slurred. He was already pissed, just as he had been nearly every night for the last three months.

"No, Ron," said Hanford, a former Quiddich official. "That was five rounds ago."

"Wealsey, you've kept up with us ex-athletes pub crawling. Surely they don't teach that at Hogwarts now, do they?" Rob said.

Ron grunted noncommittally. The truth was that he preferred his brain to be fuzzy nowadays. As a junior officer in the department, his days were filled with complaints regarding officiating, injury reporting, and fan behavior. His nights were filled with being close to Hermione, but miles away. Loitering in the pub kept him out of flat. The drinking allowed him to simply pass out when he stumbled home. His co-workers were pretty heavy drinkers so he fit right in.

Hanford said, "Are you ever going to bring your friend Potter with you?"

"He's been spending all his time going out with my sister. She's gone back to Hogwarts now, so maybe he'll have some time."

"So, when are you going to find yourself a girl, Ron? And what about your other friend, is she spending all her time with some guy now?" Hanford asked.

"Hermione, she doesn't like going out much. As for me, I'm not sure who'd have me."

"Come on Ron," said Rob, "that bird in the corner has been checking you out for the last two weeks. It's time you bought her a drink. What could you possibly be waiting for?"

- - - - -

They had known they were close. All the horucruxes had been destroyed. They were ready to track down and confront Voldemort.

He and Hermione had been inseparable during the last months. They watched protected each other as much as they protected Harry. They held each other for comfort after each horrible encounter with Lord Voldemort's horucruxes. Ron had dreaded that he would be forced to choose between protecting Harry or Hermione at some point. He knew that he that Harry was most important to Wizarding world, but he's not sure he could sacrifice Hermione. But he did nothing more about it. The hurt from the previous year had not totally subsided, and Ron was not ready risk the friendship so very nearly lost.

However, by this time Ron realized that he did not fancy Hermione, he was in love with her. He had been since sometime in his fourth year, but he didn't identify it for what it was until recently. He also knew now that tomorrow may never come. He had to tell her how he felt, no matter how scared of her reaction. She had to know.

He gazed at her in the firelight. Her hair was more wild than usual from their rough living conditions, but her eyes were glowing with the look that made his heart melt.

"Hermione," Ron said. "I have to tell you something…" And the ambush began.

Now it was gone. Hermione may never again be Hermione. All the fantasies he had of her in a beautiful wedding dress, a lovely home in the country, and a gaggle of children running around it with bushy red hair was gone. His dreams of holding her, kissing her, making love to her, hearing her complain that he never read Hogwarts, A History when they were old and grey had vanished in a puff of magical energy.

Of course, he thought, this had just been fantasy anyway. A woman like her would never really want poor, gangly, and mediocre Ron Weasley. She would want someone who matched her own intellect. Some one who was a professor or worked at the Ministry. Maybe she'd hook up with a famous Quiddich player, even Krum. She wouldn't want to waste her life making babies with Ron Wealsey. There closeness this past year was probably just from the danger they both faced and their loyalty to Harry. With their common cause gone, she'd surely move on if she recovered. He couldn't afford to get his hopes up only to have her leave for bigger things than him.

- - - - -

"There is nothing I'm waiting for. I'm going to buy her that drink."

Claire was her name. She had light brown hair green eyes. She worked in a dress shop in Diagon Alley. She couldn't believe she was talking to one of then trio. She was nice, but about as interesting as Lavender. Oh well, Ron thought, this is the kind of women that I'm likely to attract.

Ron and Claire found that they both enjoyed heavy drinking, and were quite pissed by closing time. Together they stumbled back to Ron and Harry's flat. Ron spent a good thirty seconds trying to unlock the door with key, and another minute sending alohambras about, missing the lock but taking out a few lights in the hallway, before managing to get the door open. They entered and Ron thought, damn, why is she still awake.

Hermione was relaxing in the little pond that Harry had made for her. She perched herself on the edge and wiggled her whiskers.

"Oh my god, what's that?" Claire squeaked.

Ron though quickly, at least as quickly as he could in his state. "Oh that's just my roomate's pet otter. He's a bit of a nutter, really."

Hermione's whiskers dropped. She let out a squeal that almost sounded like a cry and disappeared down the hall of the flat.

"Did it hear you?" Claire asked. "How can it understand? Oh my, is that her? I heard something strange happened to her. You called her a pet?"

"It's just a little joke."

"Um, I had better go. It was nice meeting you." Clair left.

Ron grumbled, went to his room, and passed out.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	3. Punted and Pictures

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

Ron returned to his usual work, pub, and pass out routine for the next week. On the following Saturday, Ron awoke to Harry yanking him out of bed with a levicorpus spell.

"Whazza going on?"

Harry let Ron down with a thud. "Your mum has taken Hermione to the park for a few hours. You and I have to talk. Have you noticed a change in Hermione's behavior this week?"

"No."

"I wouldn't imagine so. By the time you get here each night you are usually too pissed to walk. For your information, she has been laying around sulking all day every day. She hasn't looked at her books all week. She won't respond to any questions I ask her. Do you have any idea why this may be so?"

Ron's ears turned bright pink. "Ugh, I kind of came home pissed with a woman I picked up at the pub the other night. She asked what an otter was doing here, and I kind of said that she was your pet."

Harry voice became slow, low, and deliberate. Ron wished he'd just yell at him, because this was worse.

"Ron. You are going to do some things. First, I don't want you too see me or Hermione for a month. You are going to move out temporarily and clean up your drinking and self destructive behavior. I hope you can remember your friends and what they mean to you. If you clean up your act, you can come back and try again here. Otherwise you are out permanently."

"How and I supposed to act? Our best friend is an otter. What the bloody hell am I to do with an otter?"

"Ron, you are a prat. That is not an otter. That is Hermione. You just need to be her friend. She needs you to be her friend. She can understand you when you talk to her, although she can't talk back. Spend time with her. Let her know you still care. It's not that hard." Harry took in a breath. "I'll be back in an hour. You will not be here."

- - - - -

Ron lay on the bed in his old room at the Burrow. He stared at the ceiling counting the marks left by the Spell-o-tape that held up the Chudley Cannons posters that now resided at the flat. He pushed the though away. He didn't want to think of the flat or anything in it.

Molly Weasley entered the room, carrying a small box.

"You've been here a week Ron. You really haven't talked about what is going on."

"You know what's going on, Mum. That's why Fred and George ignore we when they're here, and Ginny won't return my owls."

"Your father and I know what has been going on in your life. Don't think he didn't hear anything through the Ministry rumor mill. But you are halfway through the leave he got you from the Ministry, and I don't think you have sorted anything out."

"Mum, please stop with that. I've been de-gnoming the garden, trimming the hedges, and taking care of the leaves. The work allows me to get my mind off things. I don't have to think."

"But you need to think, Ron. You need to figure out who you are again." She pulled something out of the box and handed it to Ron. "Look at this."

It was a photograph of himself, Hermione, and Harry at Hogsmeade station at the end of their first year. He was trying to give rabbit ears to Harry while Hermione tried to stop him. Ron thought of how innocent they were and how simple life was then.

"I've always loved that one," Molly said. "I can't believe how much you have grown.

She pulled out another photograph. This one showed Hermione in the common room attempting to study while Ron tried his best to distract her.

"Honestly, Ron. Did you ever give her a break?"

"Mum, that's what I was trying to do. Get her to take a break. If it wasn't for Harry and me, she never would have done anything but study."

Next was a photograph of Hermione in her Yule Ball gown with Krum.

"Didn't she look beautiful then?" Molly asked.

Ron glared at Krum, grunted, and tossed the picture aside. "Any others?"

"Oh there are lots. I'll just show this last one to you and then I'll leave you"

It was a picture of Ron and Hermione dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding. They were smiling and giggling like 12 year olds. It was their last day of peace before the Horucrux hunt began. The Hermione in the picture kept looking at him with her big brown eyes. How he loved those eyes. He sorely missed those eyes.

Molly spoke again. "I wanted you to see the past, so you could think about your future. I know you have looked at her as more than a friend for some time."

"It doesn't matter. If she ever recovers, she would want someone smarter and more sophisticated than me. Even if she did want me before, I've ruined it. I called her a pet in front of some women I met in a pub. She'd never forgive me." He put his head in his hands.

"Ron, start to fix it. At least try to gain her friendship back. You don't want to lose that totally, do you?"

"No."

"So rebuild things. Use the next weeks to get yourself back together, so you can repair your friendships with Hermione and Harry."

Ron returned to work in a week. He stayed out of the pubs, returning to the Burrow after work every day for dinner with his parents. No excuses were given to his co-workers; he just said he didn't want to drink every night any more. He found that his job was much easier and fun when he wasn't hung over from the night before.

But a much more difficult task awaited him: returning to the flat to face his friends.


	4. Back Home

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

Ron opened the door to the flat. Hermione was lying on the floor, engrossed in a book.

"Hi, Hermione," Ron said.

She looked at him, got up, and disappeared into Harry's room.

Perfect, thought Ron.

"Hello Ron," a voice said. Harry had entered the flat. "Is the old Ron back? Is the Ron who is my and Hermione's best friend back?"

"I think so Harry, but I don't know if Hermione's interested in my friendship anymore."

"Well, Ron, I am. Maybe time will heal the wounds with Hermione. You hurt her really bad."

"She told you? Does the muggle pin thing you made work?"

"No, Ron, we have not been able to make the PEN work. But it's Hermione, I know her. I can tell when she's upset. You used to be able to tell too."

"But that was before she was a …"

"She's Hermione. You got to get that through your thick head!" Harry paused for a breath. "Anyway Ron, it's good to have you back. I did miss you. Fancy a game of chess?"

The next few weeks went by with Ron reconnecting with Harry. Ron remained undefeated against Harry at Wizard's Chess, and Harry won most of the Exploding Snap games. They went out to the country for broom flights and Quidditch. It was almost like being back at Hogwarts.

- - - -

Hermione was another matter. She always avoided being in the same room as Ron.

Ron decided that a peace offering was needed. After work one day he went to Flourish and Blotts, and purchased a copy of a book on Harry's list for Hermione, _Transfiguration for Advanced Users_. He wrote a simple note.

_Hermione,_

_I have been a prat. I'm sorry. Please forgive me._

_Ron_

He placed it in the book and put the book in on top of Hermione's others. He then retired to his room for the night.

Ron ate a quiet breakfast with Harry before he left to meet Ginny at Hogsmeade for the day. Ron noticed that the book he bought was out and that, although she was still ignoring him, she did not leave the room when he entered.

Ron got the bells Harry used to communicate with Hermione. "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

For a while Ron though Hermione was going to ignore him. But eventually she ran the "yes" bell.

"I deserve all that and more. I don't even deserve to have that question answered. But I'm going to ask for what I don't deserve. I'm going to ask for the chance to be your friend again. Will you let me try?"

There was another long pause. Ron looked into the otter's deep brown eyes and saw the same look he saw in the picture from Bill and Fleur's wedding. He could see Hermione in them.

Of course you can, you idiot, he thought, she was always there but you were too blind to see.

Still he waited for a response. After what seemed like days, Hermione rang the "yes" bell.

Ron had to fight to hold back the tears when he said, "Thank you."

- - - - -

Ron had a new routine that he preferred to the pub crawling of earlier that year. He would come home and spend the evening with Harry and Hermione. When Harry started going out to meet other school friends or to make contacts for the charity he started to help survivors of victims and Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Ron remained home with Hermione. This evening, Harry was out, and Ron had a surprise

"Close your eyes Hermione," Ron said. "No peaking. Wait. Wait. OK, open your eyes."

Ron had unveiled what looked like a dollhouse version of Gryffindor Tower.

"It's for you. I think you'll like it better than the box that Harry had made up for you. Dad helped me. I think you'll find the sleeping quarters more comfortable. There's a private bathing pool for you, and a miniature library."

Hermione's otter eyes looked amazed. She dashed in the house.

Ron sat on the sofa and awaited her return.

"Do you like?" he asked when she emerged.

She let out a squeak and jumped next to him on the sofa. He scratched her ears and she didn't pull away. Maybe I am on the way back to being her friend, Ron thought.

- - - - -

"I tell you Hermione, this job can be crazy. I never knew there were so many ways to cheat with a bludger. The only thing there is more of is the number of forms I have to fill out anytime someone accuses someone of it."

Hermione gave a bemused sort of tilt to her head, as she did every time Ron ranted about his work.

"And they always threaten to send an enchanted bludger at me if I don't see it there way. I'm just a junior department member. It's not like I have the final decision or anything."

Hermione just laid her head on his leg and continued to listen to him.

"Maybe I should try to be an Auror. It might be safer. Dark wizards we've dealt with. Crazed coaches and fans, they scare me."

Hermione rolled over as if laughing.

"So you think my pain is funny, do you?" Ron feigned offence. "Well have it your way. I'm going to bed." Ron retired to his room and Hermione to her miniature Gryffindor Tower.

- - - - -

June came and Ginny left Hogwarts for good. Ron and Hermione were enjoying there normal routine when Harry and Ginny returned from a dinner date.

"Umm," Harry stuttered, "I, er, we have something to tell you. I asked Ginny to marry me tonight, and she accepted."

Ron looked at Ginny's hand. He had never seen a diamond so big, but he really hadn't seen many diamonds.

"Oh Hermione," Ginny squeaked, "Have you every seen a ring so beautiful?"

Hermione did not seem to make any comment, but looked politely at the ring as Ginny placed it before her. Ginny sat down with Hermione and began to talk about all her wedding plans, and Ron sat in the kitchen with Harry.

"So I guess you're going to be my brother in law, too," Ron said.

"Yes, mate. Is that OK with you?"

"I learned a long time ago that I don't have any say over Ginny's love life. It was a painful lesson. I know you'll be good to her. There is no one I'd rather her be with. Congratulations, you've made it through everything."

- - - - -

This time Harry was too distracted to notice it, but Ron saw that Hermione was withdrawing again. She avoided Harry and Ron, and spent most of her time in the Gryffindor Tower he had made.

"Hermione, please come out," Ron called out most every evening. The best he ever got was a peek out of the window at him.

Ron was ready to despair again. He had come so far, but all of the sudden it had evaporated. Did he do something, or was Harry and Ginny's nuptials affecting her. Did she secretly fancy Harry? No that couldn't be, he was like her brother.

Ron returned home one evening and found a scrap of paper in the waste. There was one word on it. It was barely legible. Hermione must have written it with Harry's Muggle pen set up. Ron was thrilled; she had not managed to make that work before. His happiness was short lived. Ron read the word.

The single word on the paper was "alone."


	5. Confession

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

Another week went by, and Hermione's mood had not improved. Ron decided that drastic action was necessary.

"Hermione, come out please." She remained in her house.

"Fine, I'll start without you. I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a boy who thought he was inconsequential. He had five older brothers, all successful in their own ways. Most of this boy's possessions were hand me downs from those brothers. Anything this boy did was expected, because chances are that one of his brothers already did it."

"This boy met a girl on a train. She made fun of the magic spell he was using, and she said he had dirt on his nose. He didn't like her at all. He thought she was an obnoxious know it all."

"The first few weeks of school did not change his mind. She nagged him for every indiscretion and broken rule. She criticized every bit of his school work."

"On day she told him he was doing the incantation for a spell wrong. He told her to do it if she was so smart. She did. Then he did something terrible. He called her a nightmare. He said she had no friends. She went into a bathroom and cried all day."

"Later that day someone set a troll loose in the school. The boy and his friend realized that the girl did not know about the troll. They went to tell her, and they met the troll. They locked it in a room. Unfortunately that was the room she was in. They rushed in to save her. His friend jumped on top of the troll and the boy used the very spell she criticized him for earlier that day to knock it out."

"The teachers came and the girl did something they never thought she would do. She lied for them to get them out of trouble. And a funny thing happened, she became their friend. The boy and her still fought sometimes, but it was mostly playful. They both liked the back and forth banter."

"The next year the girl was attacked by a monster and as petrified. The boy worried the whole time she lay in the hospital wing, unaware and unmoving. He even followed a trail of spiders into the forest (and he hates spiders) to try to find out what attacked her."

"In their fourth year he discovered that she was a girl, but too late. A famous person asked her to the ball, and the boy was angry. He didn't realize for a long while that it was jealousy. But he started to image himself and this girl as being more than just friends. He didn't do anything about it because he was scared she didn't feel the same."

"In their sixth year everything between them went to hell. It started well, she asked him to a party. But then someone told him that she had snogged the famous person from their fourth year. He had no experience at all. As stupid as it was, he felt betrayed. He was nasty to her and she had no idea why. Then, after he thought he'd been given a lucky potion for a sporting event, she insinuated that I only performed well because she thought he had taken the potion like he thought he had. He got angry and threw himself at the first girl who was nice to him. He snogged her in front of everyone."

Hermione poked her head out of the house.

"I'm so sorry about Lavender, Hermione, I hurt you really bad. I think we were both miserable that year. If I had not been poisoned, I don't know if we ever would have made up. But after that you were my friend again and I was so happy. I was also tired of Lavender, but I was too scared to break it off. I like to think I just wanted to avoid hurting another person that year, but I was probably just being a coward. Anyway, my life was much better with you in it than out of it."

"During the time of our hopeless quest with Harry, the only thing that kept me going was that we were there together. I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter how long or short it was. I was going to tell you that."

"What I'm saying is I love you, Hermione Jane Granger. I wanted to tell you that the night we were ambushed."

"I still feel that way today. I'm ashamed of my behavior after I got out of St. Mungo's. I thought my dream was shattered and I was feeling sorry for myself, but I'm back now. I love you, and I always will."

"I know you probably don't feel the same way anymore, if you ever did. That's OK. I know you need someone more intellectual and sophisticated. I will not make things awkward for you. I will not stand in your way. I will always be your friend. All I hope is that I can earn your full forgiveness for what I did this year."

"I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable, but I had to say it."

Ron looked pleadingly at Hermione. She lay there, stunned, for a second, and then scurried back into the otter house he made her.

Ron waited half an hour and she did not come out. That is that, he said to himself.

Ron retired to his room. From the bottom of his dresser he pulled out a bottle of fire whiskey that he hadn't touched since Harry threw him out. He quickly took three shots from it. He returned the bottle to the dresser and lay on the bed. For the first time since Voldemort's defeat, he cried, silently, but powerful enough to shake his entire body.

It's over, he thought, but at least now I know. He let the fire whiskey take him and he fell asleep.


	6. Sacrifice

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and her publishers. I get nothing from this (except derisive laughter). Don't sue me, please.

It was still dark when he awakened. He tried to roll over but a small shape in the bed blocked him. He opened his eyes as saw that Hermione had curled up on his bed beside him.

Had she really forgiven me, he thought. He started crying again, but he didn't realize it. He gazed at her sleeping form.

Maybe she loves me too, he thought. Maybe there still is hope.

He pulled her close and snuggled his face to her back. Ron took her paw in his hand and fell back asleep.

- - - - -

A few weeks had passed since Ron's confession. Hermione was on the floor reading _Animagi Made Easy_ by a wizard named Namuh Lamina. Ron sat on the sofa listening to the Cannons lose on the Wizard Wireless. Hey, he thought, it was at least by less than three hundred points tonight.

Ron smiled. He had been smiling a lot lately. He had never been as happy as he was then, despite the unusual life he led. He though of Hermione as his girlfriend, despite that she was stuck in her otter form.

Hermione finished her reading and jumped on to the sofa and lay down on Ron's lap. Ron petted her idly while he relived the lowlights of that day's match on the Quidditch post game show.

"I don't think I could live without you," he said. Hermione just looked at him and turned her head slightly askew, as if amused. Ron knew she was. He said this every night. She may have grown a bit tired of hearing it, but he did not of saying it.

"It's amazing. I mean, when I first met you, I couldn't stand you. You were so bossy, self righteous, and mean. Now, well you're still bossy." Hermione gave an irritated squeak.

"But I appreciated it now. I've appreciated it a long time. I love you."

Later, Ron went to bed and Hermione joined him, as she had since the night of his confession.

- - - - -

A month later, Ron arrived home to find only Harry in the flat.

"Ron, we have to talk," Harry said.

"What about?"

"Hermione, of course."

"She's been fine. I've haven't had any rows with her."

"It's not that, Ron, it's just that it has been over a year. We have to consider the possibility that she will never recover."

"Harry, she will. She just needs more time."

"Ron, I told you from the beginning that she may not get better. We have to decide what to do if she continues to not improve."

"What would we do?"

"Not really we, but you, Ron. I know you are holding on to hope of being with her when she has recovered."

"I'm with her now. I love her."

"I know, Ron, but I'm worried about you. You never go anywhere but work and here. She wouldn't want you to not live because of her. Maybe you should move on a bit."

"She's not dead, Harry. You're the one that intervened a few months ago when I was spending all my time away." Ron's neck began to flush red. "Now you want me to pull away from her. You wanted me to spend time with her when you threw me out for a month!"

"Ron, that was when I was more confident of her recovering. Now I don't know."

Harry continued, "I don't want you to feel obligated. This is my fault. If I hadn't dragged her with me to face Voldemort…"

"She went because she wanted to. We both did."

"You've finally found each other and you can't be together because she's an otter. It's my fault my best friends can't be together."

"She's not an otter, Harry, she's Hermione. She needs her friends to stand by her. A smart bloke told me that once. It's still true today."

Harry collapsed on the chair by the fireplace. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry." He paused. "I am just losing hope."

"It's OK Harry. I know how you feel. But there is always hope. You taught me that when you kicked me out."

Harry nodded.

"Don't make me toss your sorry arse out!" Ron smiled and said.

Harry laughed. "Thanks, Ron, you made me feel a bit better. But I'm still worried. How will you two ever be able to be together?"

"We'll manage, Harry. One way or another we'll manage."

- - - - -

Harry was right about one thing, Ron thought. He did have to face the possibility that she would not recover and what needed to be done in case of that. He would be together with Hermione no matter what. Drastic action may be necessary. Ron took out a quill and wrote a letter.

- - - - -

Another month had past with seemingly no progress. He knew she was trying, but he also knew that she wasn't that close. She wouldn't admit it. When he asked her about it, she would suddenly forget that she could understand language.

The time for action had arrived. Ron had weighed the options, and knew what he had to do.

Before they went to sleep that night, Ron took Hermione's paw in his hand.

"Hermione," he said. "I am going to give this one more month, and then I believe it will be time for more drastic action."

Hermione didn't make any reaction. Perhaps, he thought, she was pretending not to hear again.

"I have been studying some of your books, as you know. What you may not know is that I have been in correspondence with Headmistress McGonagall for the last few weeks. She has agreed to help me with what I plan to do.

Hermione tilted her head as if confused.

"With Headmistress McGonagall's help I will attempt to become an animagus. Now, I know that I cannot control what type of animal I may become, or I may fail entirely. If what I become is incompatible with you or I cannot manage to do it, I will request that she transfigure me into an otter as well. I think we could be even closer like that. I cannot live without you. I will do what it takes for us to be together. Will you support me?"

He kissed Hermione on the head. As he fell asleep he thought he saw tears in her otter eyes, but otters can't cry, can they.

- - - - -

Ron awoke with a start. It was still dark. He tried to get up and check the clock, but something was holding him down.

Bloody, hell, where's my wand, he thought. It's on the dresser, damn.

He needed to see. Maybe it being somewhere else would confuse whatever was holding him down. "Lumos," he cried.

The wand sprang to light and he saw that there was an arm holding him down. The arm was attached to the sleeping form of Hermione Granger. She was dressed in the same outfit she wore on the day of the ambush.

"Hermione!"

Hermione awoke. "Ron," she said. "Oh Ron, you really do love me. You would change yourself like that for me."

"You did it. You changed back."

"I had to. Your unselfish statement of love and your plan to keep us together gave me more strength than I knew I had. It was enough to finally make myself me again."

"You were always you," Ron said. "I was the one who was someone else this year."

"I forgive you Ron. I forgave you months ago. And Ron."

"Yes?"

"I love you too. I have for…"

But she was cut off when Ron pressed his lips against hers and kissed her.

The End


End file.
